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Sunday, June 27, 2010

Peter Jackson To Helm Hobbit Movies

The Hobbit, the JRR Tolkien novels that precede the timeline of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, continues to be held up because of ongoing trouble with MGM's possible sale (and which is also holding up the production of the next James Bond movie starring David Craig). Yet, Peter Jackson, the director who brought the Rings trilogy to the big screen to tremendous acclaim now looks like he's going to direct the Hobbit after all. (HT: Mrs. Lawhawk)

The delay meant that Guillermo del Toro couldn't stick around for the demanding two year movie shoot in New Zeeland.

Almost one month after Guillermo del Toro dropped out of directing The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is in talks to helm the two films in the franchise. While we wait for the studios involved or Jackson’s manager to confirm, there are lots of questions that remain before The Hobbit can actually begin production, let alone reach the big screen.

First, MGM, the debt-laden studio that owns 50 percent of the rights to the classic tale, is facing an uncertain future. The studio failed to attract bids high enough to satisfy its creditors during an auction earlier this year, and the latest plan may see Spyglass Entertainment running the studio in a prepackaged bankruptcy, according to the Wall Street Journal. Talks are continuing and no decision has yet been made, though some resolution is needed before the studio’s debt waiver expires in mid-July. Some Hollywood insiders question whether production could actually proceed if there’s a chance that those rights could wind up in bankruptcy court along with the rest of MGM’s assets (it’s the same reason why the Bond franchise is tied up since MGM owns half of those rights, too), but sources close to the Hobbit project insist that MGM’s financial woes aren’t a factor in this production.